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Operation: RESOLUTE HAND
*Allied victory **The UNSC reclaimed at least seven worlds from the Remnant **The Republic routs and eliminates key enemy personnel and formations |side1= *UNSC *USR |side2= *Covenant Remnant *Allied Pirates |commanders1= *Fleet Admiral Galia Meir *Imperator Thel 'Vadam |commanders2= *Prophet of Forgiveness *Marshall Kyradum *Chieftain Altrus *Prince Kor'd Rath |forces1= *13th Fleet *21st Fleet *Fleet of Ardent Destiny *Fleet of Forgotten Solace |forces2= *Fleet of Auspicious Vigilance *Fleet of Baleful Sigils *Fleet of Imperative Obfuscation *Rending Fiends Clan |casual1= |casual2= }} was a joint operation between the United Nations Space Command and United Sangheili Republic, aimed at recovering territory lost to both factions when the Remnant invaded two years earlier. An operation that took place over three months, it was initially very ambitious, but when it became apparent that the Covenant had significantly dug into their positions, it became increasingly mired in siege warfare, and the allied forces secured less than half of their initial objectives. Despite the slow speed of their advance, both the UNSC and Republic caused horrendous casualties to the numerically superior Remnant forces, who through a mixture of poor coordination and dithering in their command structure, failed to respond to the enemy attack in a prompt manner. The Remnant would continue to throw men, ships and materiel at the advancing forces in a haphazard and ill-planned manner, resulting in significant loses. Background Prelude For a period of several months, both the Republic and UNSC hadn't the means or the capability to take the fight back to the Covenant. However, internal disputes concerning leadership, and their massively overstretched supplies resulted in a shuddering halt to their blitzkrieg. For the first time, both Republic and UNSC planners worked together, using newly implemented long-distance communication arrays to conduct strategy meetings in real time across the frontline. This allowed them to plan and simultaneously conduct operations across two fronts. The Covenant, meanwhile, sat happy on their laurels, thinking their victories too decisive for their enemy to recover from. However, Deliverance's mismanagement of his officers resulted in individual chieftains forming small fiefdoms, their own self contained realms for which they solely cared for. Only a handful of fleets functioned as a unified force, and it would be these fleets who would mount a coordinated defence. Campaign Agrippina One of the first targets for the UNSC was the world of Agrippina. Previously lost during Operation: DEFIANT STAR, and a focal point of Spartan operations, Agrippina became the UNSC's first target for their planet hopping campaign. Here the UNSC set a precedent, by slamming into it with the full force of their fleet. On the opening day of the campaign, 13th Fleet dropped out of slipspace, followed closely by 21st Fleet. Agrippina was defended by only a single squadron of Covenant ships, mostly for escorting transports, and all of which were vaporised in the opening salvo. The air corridor opened, the UNSC deployed enmasse to the surface, with ODSTs and space dropped walkers from the 7th MEF securing a beachhead for the following forces. The Covenant forces were quickly routed, with little in terms of organized resistance. Within three hours of hitting the ground, they'd taken the citadel, orbital elevator, and their main slave camp, liberating numerous slaves. Ten hours after landing, the last two major packs had been routed, and were being systematically hunted down. The UNSC had little in terms of sympathy, and turned the entire event into a turkey shoot, using armour and air power to flush out and destroy any stragglers. Their goal complete, the UNSC forces left a token force, and combat engineers, to form a garrison and prepare for follow up units. Tavular Republic strategic planners had long planned for the centre of their counter-attack to be Aranal, the first world lost to the Covenant, intending for it to be a military victory and a morale booster. The Imperator, taking personal charge of the conflict, elected to aim for long term strategic plans, and struck out to the world of Tavular. Lost a few days after Aranal, it was positioned directly between two fronts, allowing the enemy to move between Aranal and Damask, and keep both worlds supplied. The Imperator Vadam took the full contingent of the Fleet of Ardent Destiny, straight to Tavular. Emerging from slipspace above the world, the defenders suddenly found themselves massively out numbered and out gunned, and requested immediate aide. Accelerating towards the world, the Imperator adopted the unusual strategy of seizing the orbital defences with boarding parties, while the bulk of his fleet took out the few defence ships with pinpoint fire. However, he elected to leave the enemy's communication networks untarnished. At Tavular, he baited the ultimate trap. The defenders managed to send out an distress call, bringing both Rending Fiends Clan, lead by Prince Kor'd Rath, and the Fleet of Imperative Obfuscation. lead by the Minister of Forgiveness. Meanwhile, the Fleet of Beholden Valour, refused to move, fearful the attack was a ruse. With little time to prepare, the Imperator took orbital control of the planet, and conducted a massive landing, two assault carriers opening up the landings with massive orbital bombardments, before landing scores of warriors and armour. While they battled on the surface, tearing down fortresses, and liberating camps, Vadam shored up the orbital defences, seizing the planetary guns for himself, and left a token force to defend the world. In this manner, he made it look as though only a small force had besieged the world. He withdrew the majority of his fleet to the inner planet, hiding on its scorching sunward side, hiding from enemy view. Soon, the Minister arrived, his fleet shadowed by Kig-Yar brigands from the Rending Fiends. Intent on sending the Sangheili heretics running, Forgiveness charged the planet, hoping to take the Assault Carrier stationed there was a prize. His fleet charged in, intent on making heavy casualties upon the enemy. Instead, they found themselves pounded by their own orbital defence platforms, the cannons ripping through starships and melting away whole decks in pillars of fire. Now caught in a short ranged battle, the Minister attempted to reorganize, only to receive world of a massive force approaching them from the sun. With the intense radiation of the sun making aiming difficult, they found themselves under heavy bombardment, but not nearly enough to break their line. From the fleet, broke away an arrowhead of enemy warships, charging them head on. Expecting an easy kill on the fools, he ordered a focused bombardment on them. However, the enemy sensors failed again, the charging vessels somehow obfuscating their sensors without any obvious means. This marked the first successful fleet deployment of the Vengeance-class Heavy Destroyer, and the AI-driven Adherence-class Drone Corvettes that it carries into battle. With the drones assaulting the enemies ability to target them, the vanguard easily shrugged off which little fire hit them. Forgiveness doubted them once again, assuming the paltry force would have little impact, as most Covenant vessels had little in terms of forward firepower. It was then the vanguard revealed their nature. At their lead was the Republic's Penance-class Cruiser, a heavily armoured beast with an abundance of forward weaponry. They released a hail of fire at the fleet, concentrated plasma and energy projector fire burning away the fleet's outer defences. Slamming into the enemy fleet, they cut it in two, and the Retribution-class Battlecruisers at their core fired heavy broadsides, further damaging the enemy fleet. Now sat in the centre of a confused and disorientated fleet, the formed a circular formation and pounded the enemy, while the rest of the Imperator's fleet closed on them. It was here that Forgiveness saw the truest measure of the Sangheili's might. A colossal ship, a seven kilometre long behemoth, cut out from behind the fleet, and it immediately opened the fight by cutting an armoured cruiser from stem-to stern with its main gun. This was the first time the Remnant had ever seen the Sanghelios-class Dreadnaught, and the witnessed the lead ship of it's class, the Ancient Curse. Thrown into disarray, and with mounting casualties, Forgiveness withdrew was quickly as possible. Vadam mounted casualties on the enemy fleet, but allowed them to escape. He wanted them to bring word of what they saw to others, to flee and drive down the morale of all who stood against the Republic. The battle won, they mopped up the enemy ground forces, and secured the world for their own needs. Now the Remnant front had been split in two, with the Fleet of Beholden Valour cut off from their repair and refuelling facilities, and the Rending Fiends and Fleet of Immediate Obfuscation cut off from the reinforcements they desperately needed. Ankara After Agrippina, the counter-attack split into two. 21st Fleet headed to Ankara, while 13th headed to Castellum. At Ankara, 21st fleet encountered it's first real challenge. Seventy ships had mustered there, to investigate the sudden silence from Agrippina. Dropping out on the dark side of the planet's largest moon, 21st fleet waited until the moon's orbit shifted, allowing them to jump behind the enemy fleet. The salvo was opened by the UNSC Venator, which knocked out three cruisers and a ORS-class command ship with it's first shot from the super MAC. Coming out from behind the moon, the fleet opened up a withering opening barrage, forcing the Covenant fleet to move to the opposite side of the planet. Taking a vital position over the planetary capital, the began to hold their position, while UNSC Marines initiated a ground invasion. The initial attack went well, with several marine regiments securing outlying districts of the city, and establishing forward bases. However, Covenant resistance increased significantly closer to the city, where UNSC air power was unavailable. Units fought brutally close-quarters fighters amidst ruined buildings, in an attempt to secure the city, bloc by bloc. Back in orbit, the Covenant rallied for a counter attack, using the planet's magnetosphere to fire their plasma torpedoes without a line of sight. Suddenly being hit by barrages of torpedoes, the UNSC responded with missile attacks, resulting in a long distance fight where no side was sure they were hitting the other. Rather than risk exposing their landing zones, they held their position, constantly firing until the plasma bombardment trickled down. A small forward vanguard pressed ahead, finding the enemy ships had given up and retreated, with most damaged or crippled in orbit. ON the ground, it quickly dragged into a gruelling urban fight, with little headway made until the UNSC was at last able to bring armoured units to the front. Rather than fighting through a single bloc, they just levelled it with massed fire power, using high explosives to bring down buildings. The battle would take several more days until Ankara was secured, in time for the follow up forces to come to perform garrison duties. Castellum While the 21st fleet was bogged down at Ankara, the 13th Fleet flew into an even more dire conflict. Numerous probes had collected intelligence on Castellum, and found little of interest, not even any defenders, leading Fleet Admiral Meir to think it an easy target. Bringing the fleet out of slipspace, they approached the planet using Sigma Epsilon IV as cover. Creeping closer, they suddenly got a ping, and had barely enough time to manoeuvre to avoid the first hail of plasma torpedoes. Rapidly altering course to get them behind a moon, Meir saw exactly what she had flown into. The Covenant used the gas giant as a staging ground, establishing a large station on the opposite side to repair and refit vessels, as well as gather fuel. Right at this moment, the Fleet of Auspicious Vigilance was refuelling here, in preparation for travelling to the outer systems to confront the UNSC invaders. She had slipped in so the enemy fleet was at her back, and they were on the back foot. The surprise on both sides quickly wore off, allowing them time to regroup, and plan. Shifting an entire fleet to change direction was a costly manoeuvre, especially when they were under attack, so Meir elected to move to a better fighting position. This gave the Covenant time to try and blockade their escape routes, resulting in what was planned to be an ambush. In order to make their escape, the 13th fleet fired several decoys, moving in the opposite direction to themselves, attracting the Covenant's fire, and allowed the fleet to slip into the planet's ring, the dense rocks within masking her fleet. Now with a ring of rock between her fleet and the Covenant, Meir needed to draw their attention, long enough to fight back. Ahead of her main fleet, she sent the UNSC Titan, a laser-armed Ragnarök-class Dreadnaught, with the UNSC Shogun supporting her. In her massive shadow, hid Cruiser Squadron Repulse, containing several cruisers of varying classes. Seeing their targets rise, the Covenant fleet immediately changed course, heading straight towards the vessels. Firing a heavy bombardment, their weapons proved largely incapable of causing lasting damage on the two vessels, and only served to draw them into position. Pounding on them, the Covenant fleet moved into the firing line of the bulk of the fleet, who simultaneously fired their heavy guns, MAC slugs penetrating the rocks to hit the enemy fleet. Furthermore, they detonated nuclear weapons inside the ring, firing shards of space rock into the Covenant fleet, causing even more devastation. Suddenly taking casualties, they faltered, allowing the Titan's reinforcements to move out of its shadow and further add to the mounting fire on the Covenant. The Covenant fleet, now on the back foot, fell back, retreating to their station. Seeing it as a victory, Meir moved her battered fleet out, making for Castellum as quickly as possible. The Covenant fleet meanwhile, withdrew, heading to Akuze. Even though they were battered, the UNSC didn't care much for waiting it out. 13th Fleet fired a massed bombardment on the enemy positions on Castellum rather than risk a direct attack. Frigates and carriers from the fleet took to a massed landing at Jarrel fields, whole regiments taking landing at once. An armoured spearhead moved on Castellum's primary settlements, preceded by massed air bombardment. The main assault was flanked by air assault units, taking vital positions over looking the main colony. Rather than fight to the death, the Covenant commander elected to surrender himself and his forces, laying down their arms. In a twist, the UNSC herded them into the ghettos and concentration camps they kept their human slaves in. Securing the world, and making sure the surrendering forces were suitably disarmed, Meir awaited reinforcements and resupply before she moved on, keeping up the pace of the planet hopping campaign. Damask With the recent loss at Tavular, Chieftain Yulakus, Fleet Master of Beholden Valour, was now not only cut off from his commander, the Minister of Forgiveness, but also cut off from vital fuel supplies, and the repair facilities stationed over Aranal. Yulakus was bombarded with orders to lead a counter-attack on Tavular and link up with Forgiveness, but the daunting prospect of attacking the Arbiter head on, and of moving from the safety of his fleet base, prompted Yulakus to remain moored above Damask, refused to move. Fleet Master Tolen 'Nomos, and his fleet of Forgotten Solace, was ordered to move in and take Damask in a bloody assault. However, Nomos was equally unwilling to follow orders from high up, especially when it meant flying straight into the enemy's maw. Instead, Nomos elected for a more pragmatic approach. He took a large portion of his fleet in system, with the intent of launching hit and run strikes on the enemy, launching raids and engaging in small skirmishes, with the intent of forcing the enemy to action and simultaneously keeping them focused on defend Damask. While he did this, other elements of his fleet engaged in so called 'unrestricted warfare' and hunted down the supply convoy's desperately keeping Damask fuelled. This worn forces, having already run the blockade against the Imperator's forces, were now being hunted down, and destroyed or seized. At Damask, Nomos tightened his grip, draining the enemy of fuel and resources. The only things they had in plenty was food, which did them little good. With fuel running so low, to the point that many of his ships remained in dock without fuel, Yulakus instead elected to withdraw, heading towards the distant fleet base at Jorob, rather than risk a protracted fleet battle with the Imperator. Nomos' scouts hounded them for lgihtyears, before giving up the chase, happy with the casualties dealt to them. Nomos, meanwhile, had reconquered Damask, without ever engaging the enemy fleet. Jorob With the battle won at both Tavular and Damask, the combined forces of the Fleet of Ardent Destiny and the Fleet of Forgotten Solace moved on the major fleet base at Jorob. Chieftain Yulakus had barely enough time to recover his losses and refuel his ship, when he received news that not one but two fleets were approaching Jorob. With no option to retreat, he began to dig in, and prepare for a lengthy siege. Vadam and Nomos had conflicting styles of battle, but both agreed that a protracted siege was no of interest to either of them. Instead, Imperator decided to sabotage the enemy's forces, and send ahead a contingent of special forces. Lead by the Ipmerator's Blade, Kasr 'Revak, this small force infiltrated the world of Jorob, making a clandestine landing close to Jorob's central command. Infiltrating the perimeter, and seizing the outer defences, they took the command centre without raising a single alarm, and exterminated all within. Now, they awaited the arrival of the main force. Later that day, both the fleet of Forgotten Solace and the Fleet of Ardent Destiny arrived, approaching the planet in a pincer attack. As they closed in, Yulakus was confident he had enough fire power to ward off both fleets. As the battle opened, the Imperator's ruse was set into action. From the command centre, Revak began sending counter intuitive orders and information, throwing the fleet into disarray. Bombarded with commands, the fleet lost all cohesion, and began to fire on one another, being lead to believe the enemy had infiltrated their fleet, and their blind loyalty seeing them go through with their orders. With the enemy in complete disarray, the Imperator sounded the charge, crashing through the enemy and setting ships ablaze as he did. Yulakus breathed his last, energy projector fire incinerating him and his ship, the smouldering remains crashing into orbit. Having scattered the enemy, they brought the battle to the surface. Leading a decapitation strike, Nomos dispatched squadrons of Lich and Phantoms, protected by bombers and attack fighters, to take a foothold in the enemy's main encampment. Routing them from the ruins of the keep, they chased them into the highlands, hunting the survivors down as sport. The Imperator focused elsewhere, sending parties of warriors to liberate encampments and factories, where slaves were held as chattel. The few small pockets of resistance were hunted down and exterminated, and Jorob was conquered, with a might victory for the Republic. This battle left Aranal encircled, and and the survivors within trapped. Nomos cemented the defences of Jorob, as a staging ground for further battles, while the Imperator pursued the Minister of Forgiveness. Akuze Keeping up the momentum, 21st fleet headed straight to Akuze, a known staging point for Covenant forces. The lead world in a large enemy salient, UNSC planners figured breaching this position would allow them to reverse many of their losses, and off balance the Covenant's fighting ability. 21st Fleet came out at the edge of the sector, and closed the distance to Akuze quickly. Akuze had only a moderate fleet defending it, not enough to mount a determined defence. Seeing an opportunity to launch a strike that would change the flow of the war, the fleet pushed forward. That's when the Fleet of Baleful Sigils made their move, coming out from behind the world. Suddenly faced by a fleet of equal size and power, 21st Fleet felt confident about the exchange, possessing superior firepower at range. That's when the battered Fleet of Auspicious Vigilance dropped out of slipspace behind them, having just fled the fight against 13th Fleet. Now the situation had rapidly changed, and 21st fleet was caught between two fleets, and out numbered. The retreat was sounded, with the fleet attempting to slip the enemy's pincer attack. For the next hour, the 21st fleet attempted to evade the enemy, performing evasive manoeuvres, buying enough time to escape the enemy. Caught between these attacking fleets, the fleet took heavy casualties, losing several ships, and several others being heavily damaged. Eventually, above Akuze's second moon, the fleet escaped, heading straight back to the UNSC's staging area, rather than risk moving to previous theatres. While a few battlegroups from the 21st would continue to fight, 21st was largely out of the Operation, being moved to the rear lines to recover. Akuze remained in enemy hands, and their salient deep into UNSC territory remained strong. Aranal Forgiveness was in a difficult position. Aranal was encircled, surrounded by the Sangheili, and they looked ready to strike at any moment. Gathering all his forces, the Imperator took his fleet directly to the planet, looking to claim Forgiveness' life. When word of his approach came, Forgiveness attempted to lead a break out, only to be repulsed, Relying on the Rending Fiends clan to slow and harry the Imperator. He instead found they had fled the field and slipped through the blockade, returning to Port Hammurabi for cover and protection. Now alone, and facing the full might of the Imperator, Forgiveness steeled himself. The Imperator's fleet tore it's way into realspace, and opened the battle with a thunderous opening exchange. Ignoring the enemy fleet, Vadam descended onto Aranal, his aim to raise both the Swords of Sanghelios' and Republic's banner over the keep, an open statement to both the Remnant, and the High Council. Facing a fortified city, the Imperator approached it with a scalpel response. Covert teams breached the enemy's perimeter and began to run loose within the city, causing havoc and carnage. Suddenly finding their rear lines under attack, the defenders on the walls became weakened, and that's when the Imperator lead his siege breaks. Scarab and Tarantula walkers stormed over the defences and barricades, cutting down enemy forces with impunity. Marching to the keep under a hail of fire, Vadam scaled the walls, accompanied by his best warriors, and cut down the defenders on top, cleaving a crimson trail through them. He found the Minister in the thrown room, sat upon the Kaidon's seat of power. What exchange was shared between them remains unknown, but what is known is that the Imperator's sword, Prophet's Bane, claimed another San 'Shyuum that night. Hal's Folly Soon after 21st fleet's withdrawal, Admiral Meir got the news. Meir was now in a difficult position, being deep into enemy territory, with her lines of supply stretched thin. Most strategists thought she had one of two options, in that she could hold her position until reinforced, or retreat. Meir elected to ignore both of these plans, and instead do something daring. She was going to take her fleet deeper into enemy territory, to cause as much damage as possible, before retreat became necessary. Rather than move onto her next target as intended, she headed for Hal's Folly, a collection of half-destroyed planetoids fused into an collection of rocks, orbiting a sun. Primarily a mining installation, it had since been taken by the Covenant. She intended to deny them that resource. Jumping in system, 13th fleet got as close to the mining facility as they could. Dropping almost on top of the small squadron of defenders, they were quickly dispatched, opening up the path for the ground invasion. ODSTs deployed to the surface surrounding the main export facility, advancing in the void on the facility, dislodging the defenders disabling their AA guns surrounding it. Now Marines began descending on the facility, armed with void-hardened armour. The next few hours was a back and forth between Marines and the Covenant defenders, fighting across mining facilities, through tunnels, and across the airless surface of the planetoids, pushing the defenders back. In the process, they liberated the slaves imprisoned there, bringing them back to the fleet to receive medical attention, and be returned to safety when the fleet retreats. After a protracted battle, the Marines had cleared most of the facility, and placed demolition charges, to sabotage the facilities. Wrecking the mining station's ability to actually mine, they withdrew back to the fleet, and began to withdraw. It was then that the Fleet of Baleful Sigils came out of slipspace, with the intention of bringing down 13th fleet. Meir left before they could close on them, and they gave chase pursuing them several hours behind in In order to elude them, Meir's fleet performed a slingshot manoeuvre to drop out of slipspace, dropping into dark space and performing an emergency jump, managing to lengthen their lead ahead of their Covenat pursuers. Once she got back into slip space, she opened a line to Republic command, and organised a rendezvous. They changed their course, making their way to the occupied world of Grunwald, the Covenant assuming they were planning to attack there next. Grunwald Grunwald was to be a defining moment in the campaign, and a considered one of the finest moments of cooperation. The Fleet of Baleful Sigils was close behind the 13th, and gaining ground. Kyradum knew that Grunwald was a defended world, and the 13th would be flying into fire. Marshall Kyradum believed that the 13th was unaware his fleet was following them. His intent was to pin them down and leave them no opening of attack. Unbeknownst to him, Admiral Meir had been sharing encrypted communiques with the Republic, and in particular, the Imperator, Thel 'Vadam. Several hours earlier, Vadam sent a vanguard force to knock out Grunwald's defences, and await the 13th fleet in a coordinated jump. At 1300 local time, the 13th fleet emerged from slipspace, ahead of Grunwald's largest moon, and headed straight towards the planet. The fleet of Baleful Sigils arrived twenty minutes later, close to their rear. Expecting a glorious massacre on the fleet's rear, Kyradum was instead struck at his own. The Imperator's vanguard force came out from behind the moon, and opened up on his fleet with precise fire. Suddenly trapped, the fleet of Baleful Sigils was then hit by a massive missile bombardment from the 13th fleet, before their fast ships turned to hitKyradum's ships in a pincer. Now being struck from three directions at once, Kyradum was forced to capitulate. He threw up a screen of heavy corvettes, hoping to get his largest vessels from the fight. Despite the blistering attack, Kyradum slipped out with a number of his ships, leaving behind a rear guard while he escaped. Rather than pursue, Meir used her time to bombard Grunwald, hitting vital industrial centres on the planet, before jumping out. Meir and the vanguard joined the Imperator's main force at a deep-space rendezvous, before moving to the next target for their campaign. Port Hammurabi With the path opened by Fleet Master Tolen 'Nomos' victory at Artellen, the combined forces of the 13th Fleet and Fleet of Ardent Destiny spearheaded their way to their final target. Port Hammurabi was a large pirate bastion, used by the Remnant as a staging ground, and financial support, by selling slaves there. The remnants of Rending Fiends Clan and Kyradum's forces marshalled there to gather support. The Combined fleet dropped out of orbit within view of Port Hammurabi, a large station created from planetoids bound together by ad-hoc constructs. The defending fleet used stationary guns and the planetoids for cover, hoping to draw them in close enough to engage them in a close quarters fight. Holding their position from afar, they elected to flush the enemy first, before closing in for the kill. Amid missile bombardment from the UNSC, the combined fleet released waves of fighters, followed by bombers and interdictors. Weaving through the dense debris field around Port Hammurabi, the fighters fell upon the Covenant ships. Possessing superior agility to the Covenant fighters, and more firepower, they immediately took the advantage, the Covenant fighters floundering and relying on close-by ship defences to protect them. The follow up waves of bombers caused horrendous casualties, hammering the Covenant ships into dust, and knocking out their long range defences. With the fleet offset by the casualties, and the path opened, the Imperator lead the charge, in the monolithic Ancient Curse. Ramming its way through the blockading ships, it opened up the way with hails of plasma and projector fire. The Imperator's fleet followed in his wake, with the 13th splitting into squadrons to attack multiple enemy positions. Kyradum's ship, attempting to halt the advance, took the Curse on head on, and fared poorly. Rake by thousands of plasma cannons, and struck by a heavy projector across the bow to the stern, the ship lost power and crashed into the port. Surviving this, Kyradum fled onto the station, to establish defences. The rest of his fleet grew weak, and were soon easy pickings. The Imperator shifted his focus to the port, intent on conquering it as a warning to the Covenant. Coming down in a hail of drop-pods and phantoms, they smashed through the outer hull of the station, and invaded the tunnels and umbilicals of the stations. Not to be outdone, Meir took charge of the 13th's ground invasion, using ODSTs to secure a core station, and followed it up by landing Mantis walkers on the station, turning it into a bloody killing field. Taking the lead of the forces, the Imperator smashed aside resistance, dispatching no less than three chieftains in his conquest. This lead up to the charge against Kyradum's sanctum itself, with the Imperator's warriors, tearing down his defences, and battering down the door. Thel himself charged through the fight to find Kyradum, and engaged him in combat, avoiding his clumsy axe blows, before sleaving him in half, Prophet's Bane claiming another Chieftain. Meanwhile, UNSC special forces engaged in a relentless combat against the surviving members of the Rending Fiends Clan, fighting in close quarters to oust them from their positions, and engaging in furious fire fights through abandoned tunnels. ODSTs took point, taking on the clan guard, and emerging with the beaten and broken prince. Despite the Imperator's misgivings, they took him into custody, to interrogate him. Port Hammurabi was conquered. Rescuing the thousands of captives and slaves held within, the victors set thye station to blow, its fusion reactors going super critical once they reached a safe distance. With victory for the alliance, the Ipmerator escorted 13th Fleet back to Republic space, and from there they returned to UNSC territory. Aftermath The result of the campaign was without question. Both the UNSC and Republic achieved their short term objectives, pushing back the Covenant, and retaking worlds lost to them in previous months. In the process, they inflicted severe casualties and strategic losses on the Covenant. The campaign was also a serious morale booster for both sides. However, it failed on one strategic target. The world of Akuze still remained in Covenant hands, with it still forming a dangerous salient deep into UNSC territory. Ultimate, it returned the war to the status-quo, with a strong stalemate between both sides that didn't look as though it would break any time soon.